A Watsonville school principal accused of making an illegal turn that caused the death of a motorcyclist pled no contest to the charges this morning.     Victoria Sorenson was charged in the death of 51-year-old Daniel Garcia, when his motorcycle struck the side of Sorenson’s Jeep, causing him to be thrown over the car.    The father of 5 died 10 days later due to severe brain and other injuries.    The defense claimed that Garcia had a blood alcohol level of .16 at the time of the accident, but police have ruled that Sorenson is at fault.     She is slated to be sentenced on September 14^th.  

Santa Cruz County’s B.A.D.G.E.S. program, or Before Aggressive Driving Gets Everyone Stopped, was hosted by California Highway Patrol this month.     The cooperative traffic safety effort focuses on reducing traffic offenses in a different area every month.    Officers from the Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley and Capitola Police departments paired with CHP to enforce school zone violations in the Soquel area.    150 citations were issued for various offenses, including speeding and red light violations.

A pit bull was found abandoned yesterday, tied to a mile marker post on a section of Highway 152 in Watsonville.     The 2-year-old grey and white dog was rescued at 1pm by a Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Officer.    Leaving the animal without shelter, food, or water constitutes willful abandonment, which is a misdemeanor under California State law.   Anyone with information on this abandonment is asked to contact the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and ask for Officer Montes.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has released a police sketch of a man who allegedly tried to assault a teenage girl in Boulder Creek.     The 16-year-old girl was getting off a bus around 11pm on august 26^th when she was grabbed from behind by the assailant.    The man pulled her hair and the victim screamed.    She was able to run to her home, and the man drove off in a white pickup truck.     The girl told her father what had happened, and he attempted to locate the suspect, following a truck that fit her description until he finally lost the vehicle.    The suspect is described as a 6 foot tall man in his early 30’s with a thin build and light brown or blonde hair.   A sketch of the suspect can be seen on the Santa Cruz Sentinel website.